U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial

Your Guide

The U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial, also called the Iwo Jima Memorial, is a military memorial statue outside the walls of the Arlington National Cemetery, just past the Netherlands Carillon. The design of the massive sculpture by Felix de Weldon was based on the iconic photo Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, taken by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal. This Pulitzer Prize-winning photo captured the moment when the Marine Corps’ Fifth Division raised the American flag atop Mount Suribachi, on the small Japanese island of Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945 and is arguably one of the most memorable images of World War II.

A Cross Section of America

The moving memorial features the marines and sailor who raised the second flag over Iwo Jima: Sgt Michael Strank, Cpl Harlon Block, PFC Franklin Sousley, PFC Rene Gagnon, PFC Ira Hayes, PM2 John Bradley. The six flag-raisers represented a cross-section of America: Hayes, a full-blooded Pima Indian from Arizona; Strank, a Pennsylvania coal mine worker; Block, a draftee from the Texas oil fields; Sousley, a 19 year old Kentucky farm boy; Gagnon, a New Englander rejected by the Navy; Bradley, a funeral director’s apprentice.

Image: Wikimedia

Connected and Personal

It is hard to imagine that something so large in scale can feel so connected and personal. The 32-foot tall figures within the statue erect a 60-foot bronze flagpole from which a cloth flag flies all day, every day. This is one of the few official sites where this is required. President John F. Kennedy issued a proclamation that a flag of the United States should fly from the memorial 24 hours a day.

Image: Dena Kennett

Precision Drill Exhibition

During the summer, Marines perform their famous Sunset Parade in front of the memorial every Tuesday at 1900. There is a shady grandstand surrounded by large, mature trees for viewers to sit and enjoy the parade. The parade features a precision drill exhibition by the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon and a “Music-In-Motion” performance by the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps.

Image: Wikimedia

12, Not 13 Hands

There is a persistent urban myth that de Weldon added a thirteenth hand to the sculpture to symbolize either all the other Marines who made the flag raising possible, or the hand of God. When informed of the rumor, de Weldon exclaimed, “Thirteen hands. Who needed 13 hands? Twelve were enough.” There is even a booklet debunking the myth by Gunnery Sergeant Tom Miller, who spent 5 days on Iwo Jima.